HIV/Aids Response project under the National HIV/AIDS Control Commission (CNLS) has ended its mandate.

The project was funded by the United National Development Programme (UNDP) since 2003.

Its major objectives has among other things been to strengthen CNLS in planning and coordination of all sectors, structures and agencies involved in national response to the fight against HIV/Aids. It was also charged with the implementation of mainstreaming HIV/Aids and developing an integrated management information system.

The Executive Secretary of CNLS, Dr Agnes Binagwaho said that the project has successfully ended its intended objectives especially in establishing management and coordination mechanisms of the national HIV response.

“The project has helped in mitigating the HIV/Aids socio-economic impact on those affected and infected with the virus,” Dr Binagwaho said, at her Kigali office on Friday. She said that CNLS has satisfactorily fulfilled its role as an executing and implementing agency of the project, adding that technical assistance provided by future projects to CNLS should be fully integrated into CNLS.

According to Binagwaho, the project has been influential and has yielded outstanding improvement in the livelihoods and reduced stigmatization.

She said that the technical assistance provided by the project has served to fill human resources gap at CNLS which has helped in achieving its objectives.

Christine Umutoni, the Justice, Gender and HIV Programme officer at UNDP said the body shall continue supporting programmes aimed at mitigating the HIV/Aids at District levels especially in volunteering services to ensure that the problem of human resource inefficiency does not arise.

Umutoni said that the project has ended but UNDP would continue financing other capacity building projects in districts.

“We shall continuously help in the fight against HIV/Aids, to enable local authorities in the decentralization process and coordination of other projects,” Umutoni said. She added that capacity building at decentralised levels will enhance their effectiveness in reducing the spread and impact of HIV/Aids.Ends